Broken Improvement
by Hikari-san42
Summary: Dr. Eggman has a plan, a plan to shatter the world into pieces and awaken a sleeping god. All he needs are the means to do that, and those means are inside of Sonic, ripe for the taking... /Adaptation of Sonic Unleashed's opening cutscene./


_Broken Improvement_

**Warnings:** Adaptation of the opening cutscene of _Sonic Unleashed_; possible spoilers if you haven't played or seen anything for that game or you live under a rock.

**Notes**: I. Love. Unleashed. Especially the first cutscene. Decided I needed some description practice, so I just went ahead and tried to adapt the opening cutscene. I feel like the description of the fight gets kinda repetitive, but I'll leave that up to you with the fresh eyes. I'm going to bed.

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Space: a vacuum, cold, heartless, soulless even; yet, it held one of the greatest treasures in the universe. It was a beautiful blue color, fringed by the wispiest of clouds, pure in color and translucency, and so very _precious._ Like a gem in a crown, it was the universe's ultimate achievement. Life flourished – in the air, seas, and on land – and it couldn't have been more perfect.

Though, Dr. Eggman would argue that point to his dying breath.

The human peered out of his command central, located in the central tower of his flagship, admiring not the stunning, spinning planet below him, but his armada of ships, spread out around him like protective guards. There would be no stopping him this time. He was too powerful, had amassed an army too great, and there was _no possible way_ that anyone would be able to keep him from his goal.

"Ohohoho!" the rotund man cackled, throwing his head back in pure glee.

He was going to _finally_ create his Eggmanland, and all he had to do was lure that stupid hedg-

An alarm blared at him, its high pitch striking against the silence of space, cutting off his laughter. "Hm?" The maniacal doctor slammed his hands down on the console, leaning forward so he could see out of the front window. The black of space was unfathomable beyond the edge of his ship, and he forced his eyes toward the source of the alarm, ignoring the twinkling stars in the distance.

Somehow, there was a fire on the very edge of his ship. It licked at the metal, eating into the red paint, and threw sparks in the air. It gave off a subdued roar, flaring brightly against the blue planet behind it. However, it was not the source of the alarm.

A blue hedgehog, kneeling on its right knee and hand, with his head bowed, was obviously the cause of the destruction. A louder, deeper alarm sounded, wailing into the deep dark of space, and the hedgehog stood. The fire behind him created an aura around his body, giving him an ethereal glow around the edges, and the heat licked at the sharp quills at his back, creating waves of barely visible vapors. Like the flame, the hedgehog had no need of oxygen, and he smirked as the base's security kicked on, ejecting Egg Fighters from pillar-like slots. They cranked into place with thick slams, and the giant guns located adjacent to Eggman's control tower rotated with a whir of mechanics, training onto the lone organic heat signal with ease.

In the control room, the alarm was screaming, its high pitched _woops_ setting the human's teeth on edge. He took in a breath before throwing his hand out, issuing a single command with the force of his whole being. "_Fire_!"

The cannons exploded, unleashing a barrage of projectiles toward the hedgehog. The muzzle flash was like a small explosion, orange and thick with smoke and shrapnel, and, as soon as they unloaded, the guns went off again.

Except, their target wasn't there anymore.

Sonic the Hedgehog was nothing more than a blur as he snaked his way up the ship, avoiding the shots with barely perceivable dodges. The chaos thickened with every step, the blasts coming closer and closer, one licking impossibly close to his sneaker, scuffing the bright red shine. His eyes narrowed and he pressed forward faster, zipping around the projectiles with graceful movements.

When he came upon the Egg Fighters – large, silver, humanoid robots – he wasted no time catapulting himself at the first one. He slammed off of it, crumpling it with the sheer force of his momentum, and his inner navigation targeted a new one with ease. He curled inward and crashed into the next one with a little less force, but a lot more determination. The next fell milliseconds later, and he decapitated another before targeting a fifth. He planted his feet on this one, kicking with as much force as he could, and threw himself into the air. The hedgehog uncurled, throwing his arms and legs out for maximum drag, before flipping one time to drop his flight path straight down. He bounced once in an attempt to get his momentum under control, and blasted forward again.

The next robot was bigger than the Egg Fighters, and a lot more versatile. Obviously designed to be a last line of defense, this one had fully articulated arm and finger joints, as well as a very developed A.I. Somehow, it managed to calculate Sonic's speed and predict where he would be with extreme accuracy, and it slammed its hand down – fully intending to squash the hedgehog – at the precise moment that Sonic rushed past.

Unfortunately for it, the blue mobian's mind was much, _much_ faster than any computer, and he saw the hit coming. Sonic slid sideways, balancing all of his weight on the side of his right foot, and reached up to grab the robot's hand. His grip was strong and he jerked the 'bot around, running up its body in a complicated whirling pattern. The machine was sent stumbling into a twirl, incapable of processing what was going on around it.

Sonic skidded back onto the hull and he quickly got his feet back under his control, exploding back into a run. He was finished wasting time with robots, so he simply hurtled straight through the next batch that tried to stop him. They blew up from the sheer force and power of his velocity, lighting up the bleak space with bright starbursts of orange and yellow.

The control tower was right in front of him now. His feet where nothing more than quick taps on the metal and his whole form was blurred around the edges, the blue distorting into the nothingness around him. Suddenly, a giant robot soared from the tower, landing with a formidable sound and a "_Haha_!" from the doctor seated inside. A barrage of bullets flew out of the machine, pelting the ground around Sonic's feet. The hedgehog leapt over the blasts as they grew to small bursts of fire and debris, and he easily avoided the biggest with a well timed jump, grunting as he went.

"Why you little!" the human declared as his adversary curled into himself. The blue ball arced through the air, spinning so rapidly, the quills seemed to blur into themselves, and Eggman quickly followed the path the hedgehog was destined to take.

Sonic landed right in front of the robot and easily avoided the arm Eggman sent crashing his way. He bounced over the mechanical limb and used his leftover thrust to rush up the side of the tower. However, Eggman jerked around, smashing a button on the controls, and three panels on the back of the 'bot slid up, revealing more than two dozen missiles.

"_Huh_?"Sonic jerked around as the sound of the missile boosters met his ears and his eyes widened a fraction of a centimeter as they caught sight of the threat. He turned forward again, his face twisted into a determined expression, and he rocketed up the wall. The human spun his robot and unloaded his machine guns in the hedgehog's direction, the bullet casings raining down like small, metal water droplets. The hedgehog yanked and twisted his body around to avoid the shots, even running backwards at one point, before sliding along the top of the arch and flinging himself off of the tower completely as he came back down to the hull. He zipped up a corridor, disappearing deeper into the base as pieces of the structure started to crumble.

"You're not getting away!" Dr. Eggman yelled, throwing one of the robot's arms after his dashing adversary. Some of the missiles were still following the hedgehog, and they exploded as they careened out of control, though the last one allowed the human a bit of surprise as it exploded right behind the hedgehog, sucking him backwards a bit. Sonic surged forward, pumping his arms to gather speed again, and he watched as the hand missed him by inches. He couldn't help but grin winningly, despite the fact that Eggman couldn't see him.

Until, the hand heaved forward again. "Wuh-oh!" Sonic tried to jump away, but his reaction wasn't quick enough and the mechanical monstrosity closed around his whole body, yanking him back the way he had come as his legs kicked uselessly. The robotic piece snapped back into place with a jerk and Sonic pushed against the hold, only receiving the sharp bite of metal on his skin for his troubles. Eggman directed the hand as close as he could to the glass protecting him from the vacuum and he leaned toward his teenaged foe, his mind already spinning with the possible celebratory speeches he could make.

Until, that is, Sonic's angry expression relaxed into a focused one, his eyelids falling over his green eyes. That was the only warning the man received before a bright light flared from the hedgehog's forehead. The seven Chaos Emeralds, _impossibly on his ship_, materialized around the speedster's head, creating a rainbow dome of color and light.

"_What_?!" the evil mastermind demanded, his mind trying to come to terms with what was happening. He had no idea how his scopes hadn't picked up the presence of the Emeralds when Sonic appeared… He had assumed that the hedgehog was just himself, but this complicated things a bit. Already anticipating what was to come, the human tried to make the other hand grab the hedgehog in an attempt to keep him contained, no matter how useless he knew it was.

The explosion of pure power as Sonic transformed knocked both of the arms off completely, leaving only sparking wires behind. The flash of light was so bright, Eggman was sure he would have gone blind if not for his glasses, and he could _feel_ the uncontaminated energy the hedgehog possessed as he exploded away, the shock wave sparking through Eggman's being and making him shiver. He looked up at his enemy, taking note of the flaring golden aura and red eyes, and he only had time for his own eyes to widen before Super Sonic pulled all of his power inward and blasted straight at the machine. He sliced through like the robot wasn't there and soared off halfway to the edge of the base before coming back around in the time it took the doctor to take in a sharp breath.

"Time to go!" The human yelled to himself as he prompted his Egg-O-Matic to extract itself from his decimated robot. The boosters flared purple as they tried to work at full capacity and he flew down the corridor, shoving commands into his console as he moaned to himself. Behind him, the multiple sector doors slid shut with the feeble hope that they would slow Sonic down a bit, but the supercharged hedgehog simply exploded through with a flare of his aura. As they escaped the main ship, it went up in a flash of light and flame, bursting into pieces in seconds.

While Eggman made a beeline to his secondary control, Sonic chose to take a few detours to the ships that he passed. He easily plowed through them and they gave an encore performance to the first, illuminating the black with a cornucopia of brilliant blasts of color.

The human made it to his second base, bouncing off of the entryway in his haste to get inside, and his Egg-O-Matic was tipped too far forward so he was thrown forward as it caught on the lip of the opening. The man slammed into the hard metal floor, rolling all the way across the room toward the giant windows facing the planet below.

Sonic crashed his way in through the floor, splintering the metal and hovering above the human with an easy grin on his face, his hands fisted at his sides.

"S-Sonic!" the human cried, falling onto his hands and knees in front of the hero. "I-I'm sorry! R-really! L-look, go easy on me!" Eggman pleaded, his tone begging. Sonic floated so his feet were barely brushing the floor, his shoes and socks glowing. "I'll turn over a new leaf, I swear! Just give me a chance!"

"Well, this is new," Super Sonic replied, his voice partially baffled. "Showing remorse, Eggman? If you played nice, I wouldn't have to break all your toys."

"Gotcha!" Eggman shoved his thumb down on a switch he produced from nowhere. With a click and a whir, a serious of panels, all with black censors on them, extended from the floor and ceiling, surrounding Sonic as a circle on the floor began to glow.

"Wha—?" the hedgehog gasped, spinning around. Knowing a bad situation when he saw one, he tried to dart away as the machines started to hum, but he was too late. A bright blue beam of energy materialized, pulsing inward and pulling Sonic toward the center. It reacted against the Chaos Energy surging through his body, freezing and neutralizing it, keeping Sonic stuck. The human cackled, rising to his feet as the circle he was standing on extended upwards so he could see all of his machine.

Above Sonic, multiple power cannons flashed purple. On the fifth flicker, a harsh beam of amethyst energy exploded out of them, slamming into Sonic's body. Immediately, Sonic's back arched, his fingers splaying as his nerves reacted to the invading force. A yelled ripped its way out of his throat as his eyes screwed shut and his head was thrown back.

The energy coursed through his system, yanking at the hold the Chaos Energy had on his nerves and severing it, causing every fiber of his being to scream. It was like there were needles – one for every cell – being pressed into him, putting pressure on his body while also trying to pull him apart, savagely – _gleefully_. Quickly, all of the energy of the Emeralds was depleted, and the pain increased tenfold, causing bright spots to explode in front of Sonic's eyes and his whole being to shudder, the twitch originating from his core. He jerked forward, forcing the Emeralds away from his body, and they freed themselves with a _ching_. Instantaneously, his fur changed back to its blue hue and his quills flopped downward, but the pain didn't stop.

Instead, in amplified again. The energy was eating away at his body, siphoning every last drop of Chaos Energy from him, and infusing itself in its place. This purple beam was dark, sinister, and Sonic's inner equilibrium wanted nothing to do with it, so he fought it, letting out cry after cry of pain as his efforts were pushed back. He forced his head to look at Eggman, his spinning brain trying to _understand_ what was happening to him.

Sonic was barely aware when Eggman started laughing, could vaguely hear when he cried "I've waiting a long time for this!" and then "Fire!" All thought left him after that. The machine spiked, the purple beam knifing into his body with enough force to knock all of the air out of his lungs. His muscles seized, unable to hold him up any longer, and he fell to his knees. His arms shook as he collapsed onto them, and he forced himself to breathe, despite the way his body screamed at him for the act.

He heard Eggman muttered a stunned "whoaaaa," but his mind could not place meaning to that sound, so he ignored it, instead focusing on the smell of burning fur and the haze of smoke surrounding his body. For some reason, this was the kick start he needed and he reached a hand out, trying to claw his way out of the energy field. His whole body was shaking, the stress almost completely overwhelming him, and he groaned again. His hand slapped onto the floor, and he let out a determined sound, his face twisting into a scowl.

A pressure was building. He could feel it. Right behind his eyes, it was thick like a desert heat, and he focused on it, forcing it forward. Anything was better than this pain, so sharp that it kept all thought and memory out of reach. The fire flared with only the smallest amount of coaxing and it completely obliterated the jagged pain, replacing it with a searing heat. This new pain was welcome and it scorched across his fried nerves, repairing and changing them as it surged forward. Sonic groaned as his hand suddenly exploded out of his glove, his tan limb twice its size and his nails sharp and pointed. He felt his fur rip out of his body, elongating and thickening as it went. His snout narrowed, pointing as it grew, and his hands dug into the floor as the pain became unbearable.

His teeth slashed through his gums, sharpening into canines made for ripping flesh from bone, and he roared at the pain, arching upwards, his fur rippling from the stress. The purple beam was still clawing into him, but he no longer felt it. All he knew was the heat. The Emeralds dropped to the floor as the machine finally powered down, cold and lifeless, and Sonic slumped as well, his breath heaving.

"Hohoho! Success! A brilliant success!" Sonic came back to himself when Dr. Eggman started to rant, throwing his arms out for emphases and his inflection making Sonic's ears twitch. "It's just as the Gaia Manuscripts foretold! The entity that was sealed within the planet has awakened."

Sonic jerked at the word 'planet', suddenly becoming painfully aware of the orb outside of the window. He yanked his head upward, ignoring the sharp lance of pain that resulted from the action, and his green eyes widened when he caught sight of the shattered thing he used to call his home. The continents were free floating, the core partially visible through what Sonic assumed to be the tectonic boundaries, and it seemed like thin ropes of purple energy were the only things keeping the pieces from scattering outward into space.

"Now I just need to harness its power. Eggmanland will finally come to be!"

Sonic forced his body to turn as the evil human laughed once again, forcing his indignant response through unstable vocal chords. His voice was deeper and gruffer than he remembered, but he still tried to put as much hatred into his words as he could. "You've really… gone and done it this time, Eggman." The hero managed to pick his head up so he was staring at the human full on, but he was still heaving in air.

"Ahh, Sonic." The doctor sounded as if he had forgotten Sonic was there. "That's a good look for you." He slammed his hands down, leaning toward his foe. "_Festive!_" Despite himself, Sonic jerked a bit. "So long, friend!" The glass slide closed around the human milliseconds before the window behind Sonic glided open. Sonic barely had time to gasp before he was yanked out of the base, his hands scrabbling on the floor. He managed to hold on for a few precious seconds, but then he lost the battle.

He was swept toward the broken planet, the powerless Chaos Emeralds his only companions.

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_Reviews are cherished._


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